The war has being going on for about six months when this story begins (read the two previous novels for the earlier episodes) and it is not going one too well for the Alliance. In this third novel, the huge Commonwealth, an Empire centred on Earth, is at war with the Alliance which beings together a cluster of star powers including the Castle Federation which are fighting for their independence and refuse to be absorbed. However, the “space war story” definitely is. There are a number of similarities with a number of similar stories – Ark Royal in particular - by other authors but also significant differences.Ĭharacterisation is perhaps not the main strongpoint of this book, just as it is not the strongest point of the two previous instalments. whilst Weber seems to have lost his way somewhat and not know how to provide a satisfying ending to his ever growing series (mostly expanding in the middle and reaching no conclusion).Īs long as Stewart keeps giving us positive (happy) experiences and the drama lightened with a side story or two, I fully expect to continue buying these enjoyable books and rating them equally highly.Īs other reviewers have mentioned, this is a great entertaining read for anyone liking military science fiction and space battles in particular. I am definitely continuing with the next couple of books in the series (already bought them!) Not quite as good as David Weber's Honor Harrington books but I can hope that Stewart manages to complete the story. Overall, I would probably give this particular book a rating of about 4.3 but its place as part of the series has meant that I have erred on the side of generosity to scrape it in with the full 5 star rating. This always was going to be a military space opera and the central character, Kyle Roberts is likeable, flawed but knows he could be better and generally gets things right by finding solutions to seemingly dire situations. A minority of reviewers have said that the characterisations are weak but I didn't notice that and those people that the author wanted us to focus upon seemed to be expanded to a suitable level. This one was a bit darker than the previous two episodes but lightened by a love story percolating in the background. The saga continues with this third book in the series and I have to confess that I am pretty much gripped by now. Please note that I received an electronic Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. However, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent novel, and I can't wait for the next installment! I found this a bit unsatisfying, because one of the reasons I have so thoroughly enjoyed Stewart's writing in earlier novels (especially The Stellar Fox and Starship's Mage) was how interestingly the characters develop and grow during the course of the story. Everything new in this story revolves around the combat. Each character continues to act exactly as predicted by the background laid down in the previous novels. It is as if Stewart felt that the people were already well known enough to the reader, and no further explanations were necessary. Having said all this, I am giving it four stars instead of five, as I feel that that the characters and human elements in this story are not as well thought out as before. I read the novel in one long sitting because I found it very difficult to put down :-) Fleet tactics and complex battles involving more ships are the main focus now. It is an excellent space combat novel, without becoming too technical for the average sf reader. ![]() The storyline continues to focus on the captain and crew of the Federation carrier Avalon, which is now playing a larger role as part of a fleet assigned to take the war back to the Commonwealth. He continues the theme of two warring factions in human space: the protagonist Federation as the smaller "breakaway" nation, fighting the larger, antagonistic Earth-centric Commonwealth. ![]() With this third novel in the series, Stewart seems to have turned his focus more toward military strategy and tactics, and less about continued character development. ![]() I would highly recommend reading them in order, as there are important details about the characters which are developed more thoroughly in those earlier books, and only touched upon here. If you have read the first two books in this series you should enjoy this one as well. I have found the Castle Federation series (Avalon) to be an enjoyable read throughout. ![]() Glynn Stewart's writing style continues to progress and mature with each novel.
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